


Finding Hope in Fairhope

by blondebadwolf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Never lived in Fairhope, Small Towns, hart of dixie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 09:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7752067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondebadwolf/pseuds/blondebadwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean arrives in Fairhope he doesn't know what to expect. It's certainly not to get caught up in all the small town drama and fall for the towns only gay lawyer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Hope in Fairhope

**Author's Note:**

> Non betad.... yeah. Sorry  
> You can find it on tumblr, here with a gifset. http://blondebadwolf.tumblr.com/post/148849971736/see-the-originalnsfw-gifset-here-read-on-ao3-here
> 
> I have never lived or even been to Fairhope. I chose it on the map because it sounded the most like Bluebell, which was, along with country music, my inspiration.

 

The bus was like any other bus Dean had been on. It smelled like a strange combination of preteen boys who had never been taught to use deodorant, rotten baby diapers, and hospital antiseptic, yet none of those things had been spotted in his entire journey. Sure, there was an elderly couple that seemed to be playing Pokémon on their phones (but they had to ask continually how many “Levels” the screen said the Pokémon had to each other), there was two teenage girls arguing on whether or not you could put dibs on a crush (And no Brittany, just because you saw him first doesn’t mean you have a right to him), he even saw a forty year old lady pull a tupperware container of something unidentifiable out of her purse and start eating it. But all in all, it was like any other long ass bus ride- unbearable.

He was really cursing letting Sam have the impala for a week as he finished up their last minute business, before meeting Dean in Fairhope. But someone needed to stay behind and dot all their i’s and cross all their t’s, and someone needed to physically show up in Fairhope and claim their inheritance. Sammy was better at using his engineering skills to get things done, Dean was happy if all he had to do was show up. Even if it meant taking a never ending bus ride to some town he’d never heard of before. 

When his stop finally arrived, Dean practically jumped up like a racehorse at the shot, forcefully pulling his meager two bags with him and out the doors as fast as he could. He was so eager to leave the crowded hell hole, he forgot that he was supposed to be apprehensive about what he was walking towards. 

Fairhope was nothing like he imagined. 

Dean had grown up in the South. But not this type of South, he and Sam grew up in trailer homes in the red neck parts of town. He was used to confederate flags, camo, and accents so thick it took minutes to translate.

Not people walking around looking like peacocks. And that’s the first thing Dean saw, was a group of women in big poofy dresses which looked more like the bottom of the bells his mom used to collect before she passed, than actual people. With skirts that wide, Dean wondered how they got close enough to each other to actually talk.

“Well aren’t you just a tall drink of water?”

Dean turned to a girl who, like the others, was wearing her ruffly monstrosity thing. Her red hair clashed with the bright yellow of the dress, but she had kind eyes. He could almost forgive her the stereotypical “southern” come on.

“‘M looking for a Cassie Novak?”

“Why on earth would you want _him_?”

Dean wished he had a piece of paper to check to see the name. He could have sworn it was Cassandra or something. 

“Uh _he’s_ a lawyer right?”

The girl sighed. “That he is. Come on, I’ll take you to church.”

Dean was utterly confused. Why would a lawyer be at church? 

“It’s Sunday, everyone will still be at church. Well everyone that goes. The dockside Dollies scadoodled out of there early so we could practice our performance for the harvest event tomorrow night. After church is typically the best time to get some practicing done since we are all in the same place.” 

She continued to chatter on about the Dollies (their towns beauty queens in some weird association to keep their town history alive or something) , and Dean couldn’t help tuning her out as they walked to the church. The more she talked the more he felt like he truly had gone and entered another world. She wasn’t like any girl he had ever met. She put upon her southern accent, accentuated it as she spoke, like the more of a twang she used the more sophisticated she would sound. The girls he knew weren’t any southern belles. They didn’t care about sounding sophisticated as much as they cared about making sure you saw you knew they could drink you under the table or punch your eye out if you tried anything they didn’t want. But this? This was some Step-ford wives shit.

When they finally arrived at the church, Dean barely had a chance to admire the craftsmanship before Anna,(that was her name as she so proudly told him, Anna McNeil the third, like that would mean anything to him) pulled his arm to get him into the building. 

The people in the church weren’t dressed in little Bo-Peep dresses, thank God, but they were all dressed to the nines. None of them looked like they had dirty hands or ripped jeans, leaving Dean to stick out like a Metallica fan at a Wiggles concert. 

But Anna just forced her way through the throng of people. While she was a small girl and could fit through the cracks and openings of bodies, Dean had to amble his way behind her. He clunked around like an oaf, trying to keep contact with the arm pulling him and not knock out any unsuspecting elderly ladies as he shoved his way through the masses.

Finally they were standing between two people at the very head of the church. One was a fifty year old black man, wearing a modest black suit and a blue tie. The other a guy his age, who, okay, had a shocking profile. Like, damn. Dean wasn’t sure if he wanted to sleep with the guy or look like him. But either way, Casanova with the bed head was easy on the eyes. 

While he was admiring Mr. Charming, both eyes turned to him and Anna. 

“Welcome back Miss McNeil. Everything going alright with the practice?” The elderly man’s voice was warm and comforting.

“Yes, but I found a stray.” Dean tried not to wince at the truth to the words. As if he needed the reminder that he didn’t fit in.

“We are all strays in the eyes of the Lord.” The elderly man said, which led Dean to believe this must be the priest. And if he was the priest than the gorgeous model man must be his lawyer.

“Cas…” He couldn’t remember the full name. Was is Cassandra or did he invent that? “Novak?” Dean asked.

Novak for his part nodded. “I assume you must be one of the Winchester brothers.”

“How could you guess?”

Novak smiled. “We don’t get a lot of new comers. And you look a little like your grandfather, Samuel. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Wait, this is person that Samuel left his house and business to?” Anna asked, incredulously. And Dean knew in that second, with the way her eyes lit up, that somehow this gossip would be spread within minutes to the whole town. Dean looked around to find that Joshua had seruptisiously left, and really it was only the three of them standing at the front of the church. 

“Yeah,” Dean grunted. “About that.” 

“Well then, mister Winchester. It seems we are going to have to throw you a welcome party as you are now officially a member of our community. “Anna said, leering at him in a way that suddenly gave Dean sympathy for every girl he had ever given that look to in a bar.

“God, no.”

“Dean hasn’t signed any of the paper work, there are actually a lot of options we have yet to discuss.” Castiel took pity on him. 

“Was I addressing you Castiel?” It was like a switch had been turned on, and the girl went from a flirty welcoming thing to a freaking wrath. Her eyes glared daggars sharp enough to kill, the outburst startled the shit out of Dean. But Castiel did not seem surprised in the least. 

“I was just,”

Anna fixed him with a pointed look. “Well don’t.”

“Hey, now” Dean started, but Anna spoke over him and Castiel gave Dean a look that clearly said don’t get involved.

 “Anyways. I should go, let you get to your boring lawyer business.”

 A small miracle. “Yeah, about that.” Dean turned to the lawyer. “I know it’s like a sin to do anything on Sundays, but I kind of need to get into the house or a place to stay or something like that if I can’t get this figured out tonight.” Right after he said it, Dean regretted it, half fearing that Anna would offer up her own bed to him. 

 But Cas just smiled, how after being treated like shit, Dean had no idea, but Cas seemed for the most part unaffected. 

 “Eh, I believe you have an ox in the pit is all.”

 “Come again?”

Cas laughed, and Anna shook her head. 

 “He’s attempting to look smart by quoting scriptures at you.”

 “It’s a parable in Luke. Never mind, yeah I think we can just head on over to my office and get that figured out.”

 Dean nodded, relieved. “Okay, good. That’s good. I was worried…because you know…church and all…” All that other stuff Dean really didn’t know how to address.

 “What Dean’s really asking is what one _your_ kind is doing in a church building.” Anna snarked, and Dean had a strong urge to punch her in the face. Did she really think being a bitch was attractive? He was about to tell her off, when Cas shot him another look to stand down. A couple seconds passed and Cas addressed him like he hadn’t just been insulted. 

 “No, we can get it all figured out so you don’t have to be homeless tonight. My office is a short walk from here.”

 “Well I’ll be off. It was nice to meet you Dean, I’m excited to see you around.” Anna smiled up at him, but now that he knew what lurked behind the smile, Dean wanted nothing to do with it,

 “Yeah.”  Was all he said. Anna’s smile clearly conveyed she had won something in her own mind before she flounced off, bumping Cas as she left.

 Dean just watched Cas, not even a wince crossed the guys face. 

“Seriously man, I know chivalry and all but you let someone speak to you like that?” 

“No, but if anyone has that right it’s her.”

It was the forlorn, pained expression that gave it away. 

“She’s an ex?”

Cas’s eyes widened, surprise at being caught. “How did you know?”

“Well the unbridled hate was a pretty good clue. What you do? Cheat on her or something?”

Cas’s face scrunched up, not in an unpleasant way, Dean noticed. 

“No. No one deserves to be cheated on.”

They started walking out of the church building and Dean took a big breath, relieved to be out of the building itself. He knew it was weird, but spiritual buildings and places of worships always made him feel uncomfortable. 

 The two of them ambled along the sunny streets, and Dean watched the buildings each with cheery names and storefronts pass them. All of the store fronts made the buildings look more homey and put together than most of Dean’s past homes. They just gave off a vibe that if you walked in people might offer you milk and cookies or take off your shoes for you.

 “Well if it wasn’t cheating, then you couldn’t have done anything to deserve that amount of bitchiness.”

 Cas gave a wry smile. “I left her at the altar.”

 Damn. Dean whistled low under his breath. “Well then…Wow.”

 “Wow indeed.”

 “Was it because she’s kind of bitchy or is she bitchy because of it?”

 “Anna is a strong personality, but no. She’s a good person. I’ve known her since we were two and have nothing but wonderful things to say about her.” Cas’s face was warm, like he was remembering a past, but a good past. Dean supposed there was a lot of years of memories Cas could be drudging up. And if Cas had been engaged to her, he must have seen something good at some point.  “She can come across as….strong but I believe it is customary to be icy to the person you dated for ten years of your life who decided they were officially gay moments before the biggest day of your life.”

 Suddenly the comment about the church made more sense. But the part that stuck out the most- “Ten years?”

 “We started dating when we were fourteen, yes.”

 “How did you not…”

 Cas laughed, leading Dean to building that didn’t have a store front- just a plaque that said Novak Law. It was straight to the point, clean, welcoming but not cheery. Somehow it was the only place Dean had really felt on balance in the weird world he seemed to have stepped into. 

 “Well, it’s hard to know what you are when you are super worried about what everyone thinks you should be. But, yes my timing could have probably been better.”

Dean laughed. “Probably.”

“But anyways, let’s talk about your options.”

******************

 

Hours later Dean was the owner of an automobile shop and a huge house he had never seen before. Why a granddad ,who had never met Dean or Sam, left everything to them was a mystery, but still- to have a place to call home that was paid for? Well Dean was loathe to sell it before he even got to give normal life a try.

But the weeks that followed tested that option. Sam came back, and somehow Sam seemed to integrate so well into the community it left Dean feeling even more unsettled. 

Watching Sam become a town member of a place that held festivals for everything, and where the people spoke like they were in Gone with the Wind was exhausting. 

Meanwhile Sam pranced around with the Dollies, and charmed his way into the hearts of all the town members. He was using his degree to help with the towns huge waterworks project, and attempting to move the town forward in all things environmentally sound. And the town had carved a place for Sam, a tall giant moose space in their folds. Dean found his own anchor in Cas.

“Another one?” Dean asked after drinking his whole beer in one long gulp. It had been a long day. He was lucky his Grandfather had the same interests as him, because it came with an immediate job, but Dean was overwhelmed with the way of living. 

People kept coming into the shop expecting him to know their car history because his grandfather had. His grandfather had worked by himself and kept no records whatsoever so Dean only had expectations…and pies. The Dollies had made his brother and him a lot of pies. And while pie was one of Dean’s favorite foods, even he felt like Hansel and Gretel being fatted up before the roast with the amount of confections being thrown at him.

Honestly, Dean was doing fine in the shop, but a majority of it felt like wading upstream. And it wore him out. The only good parts of his day were Cas. Cas, who had taken Dean under his wing. Cas who had been showing him the town all the hours that he wasn’t working, trying to make Dean fall in love with it. But really, Cas was just making Dean fall in love with him.

 Not that that was fair to the guy. Cas didn’t show any signs of seeing Dean’s internal struggle every time they went to the pier and sat on edge fishing and talking about life. The way Dean wanted to say “date me” in every sentence they exchanged. Cas didn’t notice they way Dean’s eyes roamed over the runners body as they goofed around on the town rope swing and lounged about the lake. Cas had no idea the dirty thoughts that raced around in Dean’s mind as they got sweaty racing around on four wheels on their Sunday mornings with the local brothers and sisters club Cas volunteered at. No, Cas treated him like a friend, like a companion. And he was Dean’s anchor in the bizarro world that Dean would do nothing to upset that balance. 

Besides who else would he have that would give him running commentary on all the people and all their never ending drama?

Cas just shrugged. “I’ll get it, and get us some fries while we are at it because someone seems to have eaten all of mine.”

Dean didn’t even bother to hide his smirk, and Cas rolled his eyes like he half expected it. Seeing as they had been spending all their time together for weeks, he probably did.

But as soon as Cas left his seat, one of the Dollies was in it. 

Lisa. Dean knew Lisa’s whole story. He had never really had a conversation with her, but apparently privacy was something you lost when you entered Fairhope. He knew she had married her high school sweetheart, and he had left her for a girl three towns over. Lisa, with help from her parents, raised her son Ben. She had a rich payout from the divorce, seeing as her ex was some sort of oil mogul or something, and so she was able to spend her time in the Dockside Dollie committee, and also on the Parent Teacher committee. She also, supposedly, made the best almond cookies in state. She was Anna’s best friend, and right hand woman. So what she wanted to do with Dean was anyones guess.

“Hello.”

“Um…Hi?” Dean asked, reaching forward to drink a sip from his beer before remembering it was gone. 

“My name is Lisa.”

“I’m,”

“Dean, I know.”

“Okay.”

“Have you heard of the Annual Arts and Crafts festival?”

Cas had been telling him about it for weeks. Honestly? Dean didn’t care much about festivals, too many people in one location. But it was part of Cas’s campaign to make Dean fall in love with Fairhope. And the way Cas’s eyes lit up as he talked about the various art he had seen over the years, made Dean a little excited to watch Cas’s wonderment up close and in person.

“Yeah, it’s next week right?”

Lisa nodded. “Yes, I have a couple of jewelry items that are competing. It should be interesting.”

“That’s cool. Good luck.”

“Thank you. I was just making sure someone had informed you.” The way she said it so casually, made Dean realize what she was really getting at. She was trying to fish for information, but little did she know that was one of the main ways to get Dean to close up. He didn’t like strangers in his business. 

“Yes, they have.”

“Right, Cas has been showing you around right?”

Dean looked over to where Cas was watching him curiously from the bar front. He seemed to be waiting on their fries, but already had the beers in hand.

“Yup.” Dean popped the p, a little immaturely. 

“That’s good. He’s a good person to have show you around.”

Dean didn’t want to agree or disagree with that, figuring either would get him in hot water. He really couldn’t let a Dollie of all people know his intentions with Cas. Not that he had intentions. More like, day dreams, hopes, wishes. God, he was such a sap.

“You are aware he is gay right?”

Dean really didn’t know how to respond to that. The sentence itself sounded so high school. So and so said to so and so, blah blah blah. But the way she said it wasn’t like a mean girl. It certainly wasn’t how Anna would have said it. It was straightforward. 

“So?”

Lisa nodded, her face not betraying anything. “Anna has been spreading some unsavory rumors about the two of you.” She watched him carefully, and Dean had to keep his anger at bay. Of course she was. She was probably pissed he had been ignoring her since he arrived, stupid bitch.

“As you are her best friend, you would know I’m sure.”

Lisa nodded, her face not giving anything away. “Most people aren’t taking them very seriously. Just….”

Dean waited for her to warn him off of Cas, to save his precious reputation as if he cared about a single person in this town except Cas.

“Don’t lead him on okay? He’s a good guy.”

At that moment Cas came back, but he wasn’t the only one to join the table. At the same minute some more Dollies came sweeping in from the sky like freaking vultures. 

“Lisa, Dean. What a surprise to see you two together.” Anna said, her overly done accent grating on Dean’s last nerve. He could see from her fishy eyes that she was looking suspiciously between the two of them. Like Lisa was attempting to steal Dean out from under her. Like she had some claim on him at all. Bitch.  
  
“Yes, I was just telling Dean here about the festival.”

Cas kind of hovered towards the edge, not eager to get into the action. Not that Dean blamed him in the least.

“Well he should come. The dollies are to perform at the opening ceremonies.”

Dean wasn’t sure if that meant song, or dance, but either way he didn’t care. The poofy dresses still haunted him.

“Uh, sure. Okay. Cas here,” Dean motioned to Cas, who had been trying to look inconspicuous in the shadows “has told me a bit about it. He’s been making sure to show me around.”

“I’m sure that’s not all he wants to show you.” One of the girls Dean didn’t know snickered into her hand. Anna glared at her, and the girls went quiet.

Cas, for his part, still didn’t look in the least affected. How had he cultivated such a nonchalance was beyond Dean. Dean was ready to put them all in their place.

“Well, good. We’ll see you then.” Anna nodded curtly, and walked away and all of the minions followed her.

Except Lisa.

“I hope you two enjoy the festival.” She said it jovially enough, getting out of the seat so Cas could sit back down. But even as she left, Dean felt annoyed. Rightly so. What a crappy town that people could just take Cas’s sexuality and degrade him with it anytime they felt like it. 

“How do you do it?”

Cas looked up from his fries he had already begun digging into. “Do what?”

“I mean, does the town always treat you like this?”

“Like an anomaly you mean?”

“Yeah. I mean, like I’m surprised half of them didn’t quit going to your firm when you came out.” Then the thought occurred to him that they might have for all he know. “Did they?”

“No. It helps that I am the only lawyer within thirty miles and help the town in all legal matters. But, they also have known me since before I was born. I think, even if they don’t understand me, they are still rooting for me. They still try.”

 “I see you’ve met our token gay.”

Dean raised an eyebrow to say ‘really?’ to the impeccable timing. Standing over them was a slightly inebriated man. The man was in his early fifties, and looked like every other man in this town in his early fifties. In fact they all looked the same to Dean, medium height, slightly rounder build, red cheeks, jovial face. 

“Hello Bill.” At least Cas knew how to tell em all apart. 

“Why hello our towns favorite representative. Let me tell you it was a real ruckus when our boy here came outta his closet. The whole town was decorated to the nines to see our own golden couple get hitched and ride off into the sunset.” Despite the fact that Cas’s face was slightly pinched and Dean was practically fuming, the man continued.  “And then this one, well he blew us all right away now didn’t he? I think Ellen might have passed out from the shock. We were all stunned. Had bets on whether or not it was real, ya know? Or just a ploy to get outta having to marry that Anna McNeil.” He chuckled to himself. “Castiel here didn’t seem like the type. Boy never dressed real poofy, spoke so low dogs struggle to hear it, never showed any interest in barbie dolls as a kid. Didn’t know gays came in different shapes and sizes, and it was a shock let me tell you.”

Dean had had enough. Cas seemed calm enough next to him, but Dean was livid. Where did this old stogy man get off? Seriously? Did he hear himself?

“Surprise, surprise, we gays comes in all different shapes and sizes.”

There was silence after Dean spoke up. And the silence hit him like a brick. Dean had just outted himself in this uneducated, heteronormative backyard culture. He had just outted himself to Cas, his only friend in this entire hell hole who he actually also kind of wanted to sleep with. Shit.

“Boy, you look like you just ate a bomb. We don’t care what type of people gets your boat going. Hell, it’s better news for me because you won’t be going after any of my daughters. Look, if you two decide to get married, and you actually get old Castiel to follow through with it this time, I’ll help cater the whole thing.”

“Just because Dean is,”

“I know, I know. Jo keeps yapping her mouth off at me about this. Just because someone is gay doesn’t mean they are attracted to every person of the same gender. So it stands just because both of you get your rocks off on men doesn’t mean you will to each other. But Missouri has thirty bucks down on you two making it the long haul. And hell if I don’t trust her. So no, we aint gonna run you outta this town with pitch forks. Not unless you hurt our here Castiel.”

Dean didn’t know what to say to that but thankfully Bill got distracted enough by something out of the corner of his eye and was gone like a shot to go herald someone else in the joint.

“We gays?” Cas asked quietly. And was that hope in his eyes or was Dean reading too much into it?

“I didn’t think he could handle bisexuality as a concept, so I kept it simple.”

Cas gave a small chuckle to that. “You shouldn’t have to hide,”

“I know, Cas. I know.”

“But it’s safe to say you may have ruled out all the girls in the town, seeing as they may wrongly interpret…” He motioned between the two of them.

“Just to clarify I didn’t start to dig-“ Dean quickly corrected himself “become your friend, because you were the only gay in twenty miles.” It was silent for a minute and Dean wondered if Cas had caught his bluff. Was he offended? Was he mad?

“I’m just surprised.”

“Really?”

“I mean, I started to fall for you thinking you were straight and I was walking cliche of unrequited emotions.”

Dean choked on his own spit.

“Fall for me?”

Cas gave a small, shy smile. “You started to dig…” He was fishing. Fishing for the end of the sentence. Dean looked around at the bar around them, and no one was watching them. But the world had completely turned on it’s axis and it felt wrong that no one was acknowledging the shift that just happened under his own two feet.

“Damn, Cas.” Cas’s face fell. It was funny, to a certain extent, to see the one person that was so able to guard and hide his emotions being emotional over the fact that he thought Dean might reject him. The idea was so ludicrous Dean couldn’t even pity him. “To think I’d meet the first person in a long ass time that I really really want to date in a homophobic stuck up town.”

Cas’s smile was so bright it made Dean feel like his insides were melting. Or maybe it was the knowledge that Cas was interested in him that was liquifying them. Either way, Dean’s insides were melting as fast as butter on a skillet, and he couldn’t give a damn.

“The town isn’t that bad.” 

“See I thought you’d get stuck on the really really wanted to date you portion.”

“I am. But i also recognize in order for us to date you have to live here. And Dean, I want you to live here. This town is special. I’ll show you.”

“I know you will, Cas.” And Dean knew he would. Even if Dean never loved the freaking parade and showmanship of the town, it would always be special if only because it held Cas. “But tonight I’d rather get to know that smart mouth of yours I’ve been dreaming about.”

Cas looked out of it, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yes.” He said eagerly, standing up despite the half finished french fries and beers on the table, and trying to pull Dean with him.

And Dean easily followed.

 

 

*****

 

The town had thrown a fit when Dean and Cas announced that they were going to get married with only family in attendance. Dean knew it was because the town felt cheated over not seeing two of their own tie the knot. And over the past few years Dean really had become one of their own.

It was strange, but the people Dean started off despising became some of his best friends and closest family. It was Ellen who made him soup when he was sick, Jo who started working for him and took over the shop when he needed a couple of days off, Ben and Lisa who talked him into coaching the elementary school baseball league, Missouri who had him over for cooking lessons. Sometimes bigoted or uneducated things would be said, and Dean was quick to correct them, and most of the time the person in question would apologize and change their behavior. And if they didn’t? Well half the town still refused to serve Gordon after he called Cas a fag for not taking his legal case. The town was changing along with them, hell Charlie came out to everyone and started a town LGBTAQ+ class that Cas and Dean were forced to teach every now and again.

So it was no surprise the citizens of Fairhope were royally offended when their golden gay couple announced that they weren’t invited for the special moment. To Dean it made sense though, Cas still had nightmares of his first wedding day, and Dean wasn’t eager to make him relive that. Besides, he had fallen in love with Cas first, then the town. And he thought it was symbolic in a sense to have the ceremonies reflect that. And although most of the town forgave them once they announced there would be a town wide reception afterwards, there was still the odd confrontational questioning, or light heartened teasing about Cas being the runaway bride. 

But yes, things had changed. The same town that Dean had hated from his first moments off the bus had become a home he couldn’t imagine leaving. He felt that parts and pieces of himself were now stitched in the local dive ins, the festivals, and that throughout the town he had left his mark. 

But it was time for it to really come full circle.

“We want the Dollies to perform at our reception.”

Anna’s face frowned and Dean prepared himself for a bitchy response of why not. Instead Anna surprised him.

“Why?”

Dean looked around, sure enough people milling about the town square were giving them odd looks. It wasn’t very often Anna and Dean were in the same place, let alone conversing. especially not after the town discovered Cas and Dean’s true relationship. But none of the people were close enough to hear, and that’s what was important.

“Look, Cas wants you there. He would like you to be a part of this day.”

Dean, still prepped for anger, was unprepared when Anna- the girl he had come to know as always looking like she was ready to behead someone, started crying.

“I don’t…”

And Dean, as much as he used to hate this girl, actually felt pity for her in this moment. “Look, I probably would have reacted about the same at losing Cas. I mean, not AT him mind you. But I…”

“I lost my best friend. I lost my dignity up there, in front of all those people.”

Dean didn’t know what to say to that, so he just nodded. “And Cas feels terrible for that. But honestly Anna, look at what your life would have been like if you had married him. Do you honestly think you would have been happy? Do you still wish to marry him?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” 

Dean nodded again, not knowing what to do with the steely demeanor facing him. Anna was a loose bomb, and Dean had seen enough to know you weren’t supposed to get on her bad side.

“Besides, how do you know Castiel won’t just do the same thing to you?”

Dean couldn’t help but laughing. Yes, it had been a joke running through the town and Dean saw how much it annoyed Cas when people said it. But Dean never took it with a grain of salt because if there was one thing he knew- it was Cas. Cas loved him. Dean didn’t understand why, but he knew it was a fact. And just as there was not a single thing he wouldn’t give for Cas, he knew Cas would do everything he could for him. 

“Anna, Cas and I are going to get married. We are going to get married, maybe get a hamster because he doesn’t want dogs and I hate cats, eventually adopt some children once we’ve stopped having sex ten times a day, grow old and in love in this town. And eventually you will as well, well maybe not about the hamster and adopting. You seem more of a prize horse and home birth type of lady. But eventually it will be both of us in this town. Cas misses you because, despite the fact that you have made it your goal to treat him like shit for years, he still sees you as one of his best friends.”

Anna’s jaw clenched, but Dean was on a roll.

“Cas is planning on extending, yet another, apology and an invite to perform and be a part of our big day. I wanted to break the ice first so you’d get used to the idea before you tear my fiancé to shreds.”

Anna scoffed and crossed her arms, but she seemed like a balloon that was slowly deflating. Even her ire couldn’t keep it’s shape.

“Look, you can chose not to forgive him. You can skip the reception, and spend the rest of your life here avoiding, hating us, what have you. But I’m not going to let Cas let you treat him like shit anymore. You can try to ban the Dollies from our reception based on some girl code, yes I heard about that. But somehow I don’t think Jess, Lisa, or any of the others will stand for that.  Cas and I? Would rather live in peace. We may never be one big happy family, but we wish good things for you. Think about that when Cas comes to talk to you.”

Dean started to walk away, but he could see Anna following him out of the corner of his eye.

“How do you know Cas loves you?”

Dean smiled. “Anna, I just know. The second I walked into that church this whole narrowed down to just the two of us, and then when it filtered back out again to the whole town, I still saw him.” He didn’t know what home was until the town, until Cas. And Cas had created a home in Dean.

Before she could say something snarky, Dean wandered off to Cas’s law office. On the street he got a lot of well wishes from people he now knew by heart. People whose stories now mattered to him. When he got to the building itself and looked up, Dean could see Cas in the building. Hell, he could see Cas in the town. His childhood, his stories woven in with these citizens in the tapestries and buildings. As he walked in the office he could see advertisements on the cork board for his own auto shop. Because Cas had found a way to paint him into the town.

“Ah I’ll tell the boss his boy toy is here.” Claire snarked, half heartily, from her front desk. Dean didn’t take it too seriously because that was just part of their relationship. They had that brother sister thing going and Cas seemed to take pleasure in watching the two. 

Dean grunted. “Boy toy? Honey, I’m 150 percent man.”

“The other fifty percent is me.” Cas offered from his doorway, leaning against it in amusement.

“Ugh, you guys are disgusting.” Claire whined, as she flipped a page from the magazine in front of her.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Dean asked, before walking up to give Cas a hug.

“Shouldn’t _you_ be working?” Claire countered with a raised eyebrow. But before he could respond the phone rung, and Claire went to answer it while Cas pulled Dean into his office. Dean saw the picture of them that Jess had taken on one of their double dates with Sam on Cas’s desk. It was them at the arts and crafts festival, a week after they started dating. Both, were grinning and holding to each other tightly. And Dean smiled at the warm memory.

“Remember when I came into the office and signed the legal documents that made me a citizen here?”

Cas kissed his cheek, tenderly. It was something Dean used to hate with other people he dated, being doted on or treated gently but with Cas it just made his heart swell with even more love. 

“Yes, little did you know the second you signed those papers you were sealing your fate. Now you can’t ever leave.”

Dean laughed, before reaching forward to capture Cas’s lips in his, revealing in the little moan of contentment Cas gave at the motion.

“Guess you’re stuck with me.” Dean said, mostly into Cas’s mouth as they kissed. 

“Good.”

 


End file.
